Time Loop Chronology
CAUTION. SPOILERS. Time Loop Chronology is an evolving timeline and assumes the reader is fully acquainted with the Wapsi Square comic storyline to date. Readers who have not read the complete series are strongly advised against consulting this page, as due to its nature, no spoiler will be withheld. Background The Time Loop is the period in the history of the Milky Way when the Calendar Machine on Earth was broken so that feedback from the Machine caused the galaxy to reset its spacetime. The affected period was from a day in 562 CE through 21 December 2012 CE. In 562, Mayahuel, the Machine's creator, deliberately altered its workings, and was dragged into the Demon Realm. Breaking the Calendar Machine also likely caused the creation of the Time Forest, a separate dimension which ran in the opposite arrow of time from the Time Looped Milky Way. The Time Forest did not loop, but may have acted as a kind of dimensional "flywheel" which could allow a galaxy to repeatedly reset 1450 years into its past. Witnesses to the Time Loops As with time loops in other fiction, most participants have no way of noticing that their lives and history are repeating. In order for loops to be relevant, there have to be some who do notice time misbehaving, and to behave carefully themselves in order to end the nightmare. In Wapsi Square, these include: Jin Adeobie, as an indestructible golem, and who was in the room when the Calendar Machine was activated, experienced all the iterations in sequence, with full memory and awareness of all of them. Demons would normally be able to remember all the Time Loops, as demons exist in a quantum state outside of time. The Calendar Machine's error was abused by a Demon Queen and her followers, attached to Jin, as an easy means to repeat human experiences. Mayahuel, as an indestructible golem trapped in the Demon Realm, was able to use her skill to occasionally communicate to select people on the Looped Earths. Shelly Wahnee, from the 57th and final Earth timeline, became trapped in the Time Forest, and there began to encounter previous iterations of herself, as well as other beings who found access to the Forest. Nudge, who had access to the Time Forest, was able to count the iterations of Earth in order to know when to interfere with Shelly's life. Phix, as Librarian of the Bibliothiki, was able to witness the Loops in sequence, as the Bibliothiki is located in Limbo, a dimension where time does not run in parallel to other universes. Titans, Sphinxes and other paranormals from beyond Earth are also likely to be unaffected witnesses to the Calendar Machine's Loops. Chronology Only occasional hints and glimpses of events from other Time Loops appear in the series. While the entire Milky Way was affected by the Loops, the important area is, of course, Earth, where the Calendar Machine is located. Nothing is known about how the Time Loops may have affected events elsewhere in the galaxy. Numbering Method. Time Loops can be confusing, especially when there are dozens of them. So to help clear things up, the headers will number the Loop followed by numbering the Earth timeline which follows. *'(Loop #)' - First, because it happens first. But in parentheses, because... *'Earth #' ...the number of the Earth has to match... ...the number assigned to the characters living in that Earth. Witnesses to the Time Loops (see above) are not assigned matching numbers, as they are in one way or another outside the Loops. Example. Aaron Sullivan 52 and Jin are having adventures in the 1940s of Earth 52. But Jin knows she will have to leave him if there is any chance for Aaron 52 to become the grandfather of Monica 52. Because without Monica 52 there would be little chance to avert Loop 52 and the Earth 53 that would follow. (Pre-Loop Earth) Earth 1 562 Mayahuel breaks the Calendar Machine; Jin is there to witness this. No Time Loop has yet occurred... but it's coming in just 1450 years. sometime after 2000 Shelly 1 uses the Lanthian Relic to enter the Time Forest to seek a fix for the Calendar, but does not return. 2012 December 21 The Calendar Machine resets the spacetime of the Milky Way for the first time. (Loop 1) Earth 2 562 Jin finds herself back watching her mother Mayahuel break the Calendar Machine and get drawn into the Demon Realm. This occurs after every Time Loop. 2012 December 21 The Calendar Machine resets the spacetime of the Milky Way for the second time. (Loop 2) Earth 3 562 Jin finds herself back watching her mother Mayahuel break the Calendar Machine and get drawn into the Demon Realm. This occurs after... You get the idea. (Loop 49) Earth 50 562 Jin finds herself back watching her mother Mayahuel break the Calendar Machine and get drawn into the Demon Realm. This occurs after every Time Loop. ca. 1940s Jin and Aaron Sullivan have a relationship and a falling out for the first time. Later, she learns this leads to Aaron 50 becoming the grandfather of Monica 50, and of Monica's existence being important to ending the Time Loops. sometime after 2000 The Calendar Machine resets the spacetime of the Milky Way for the 50th time. (Loop 54) Earth 55 562 Jin finds herself back watching her mother Mayahuel break the Calendar Machine and get drawn into the Demon Realm. This occurs after every Time Loop. sometime after 2000 Monica 55 and her friends are woefully unprepared to handle the challenge of the Calendar Machine. The Calendar Machine resets the spacetime of the Milky Way for the 55th time. (Loop 55) Earth 56 562 Jin finds herself back watching her mother Mayahuel break the Calendar Machine and get drawn into the Demon Realm. This occurs after every Time Loop. sometime after 2000 Penultimate attempt to destroy the Calendar Machine and break the loop. Something goes wrong, but Brandi 56 has enough time after the event to update her book and ensure the success of the next attempt. The Calendar Machine resets the spacetime of the Milky Way for the 56th (and final) time. (Loop 56) Earth 57 562 Jin finds herself back watching her mother Mayahuel break the Calendar Machine and get drawn into the Demon Realm, for the last time. But Jin does not know it is the last. Here follows the known events of world history. (See Chronology.) ca. 1940s Jin has a relationship with an Aaron for the seventh and last time. Jin departs Aaron 57's company by staging a collapse in a ruin near the Calendar Machine. 2008 and after The Calendar Machine is successfully destroyed, and the timeline finally reaches 2013... Jin settles in with Alan... There is no Loop 57, or Earth 58.